Locations New and Redux

Morgan Packard

Two weeks ago my husband and I decided to be adventurous. We’ve enjoyed the band Sigur Rós for years, but have never had a chance to see them live. When the opportunity arrived to see them at Champions Square at one of the first concerts promoted there, we decided to see what the fuss was all about.

And there should be fuss. Champions Square is an amazing venue at which to see bands that would usually fill smaller arenas. The stage is set into the corner next to Club XLIV, and there are bars and even a couple food trucks around the edges of the area. I’m excited to experience another performance there soon to see if the lighting and effects are as great as they were that night. Whether you stand up front in the crowd next to the stage or sit in the back on the stairs leading up to the Superdome, the sound is perfect – which was even more impressive considering it was the week before Karen fizzled out and there was some drizzle and wind (that area can truly be a wind tunnel).

Then this past Sunday my husband, his parents and I attended the live performance of “A Prairie Home Companion” at the newly reopened Saenger Theatre. I had only attended a couple performances at the Saenger before Katrina and her aftermath, but I had fond memories of the Italian Renaissance-styled grand theater.

We stood outside for a bit and watched people enter. Almost everyone took a picture of the iconic sign and most chose to enter through the main entrance on Canal Street to get the full effect. I even heard a bunch of people exclaim that they had to go upstairs and see the view from there as well (the starry sky and clouds moving across the ceiling are as bright and dreamy as they ever were).

The only big differences I noticed are the seats are more comfortable with more legroom, and if you purchase a drink be sure to leave time to drink it before you have to enter your show, since no beverages are allowed in the theater itself.

If these locations are any portent of things to come in New Orleans live performance areas, I say the more the merrier.

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about

Morgan Packard may not be a native New Orleanian, but with every passing day New Orleans becomes more her home. Attending Newcomb College and gaining her masters from Tulane University, Packard immersed herself in the culture and peculiarities of the Big Easy, the culmination of which was reached when she joined the staff of Renaissance Publishing in May 2006. You can reach Morgan at (504) 830-7227 or morgan@myneworleans.com.